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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $92.80
6 bottles: $92.00
Pronounced chalky and floral nose. Palate is tight and linear with some verbena and mandarin. Impressive salinity on...
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93
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Sparkling
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Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $150.55 $167.28
Very flinty, with straw and dried goat’s-cheese character to the dried apples, honeycomb and some bread dough....
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JS
95
DC
93
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $96.00
12 bottles: $91.20
A very rich Blanc de Blancs champagne that doesn’t taste bone-dry, thanks to the stunning harmony. Tons of dried...
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JS
96
JD
94
Sparkling
750ml
Bottle: $76.26
6 bottles: $74.73
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $170.09
This vintage Blanc de Blancs completes what is now a full range produced for all the Rothschild family-owned...
WE
94
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92
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $180.96
Lovely precision and drive to this with aromas of lemon curd, brioche, praline, apricots, pomelos, mandarin zest and...
JS
97
WA
96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $133.48
Disgorged with four grams per liter dosage, the 2008 Extra Brut Vintage hasn't appreciably evolved since I last...
WA
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $244.68
A ripe and intense style, showing energy and vibrancy. Flinty, slightly earthy aromas that are more suggestive of...
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98
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96
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $154.62
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $2627.96
Disgorged in September 2020 with four grams per liter dosage, Bollinger's 2008 Blanc de Noirs Vieilles Vignes...
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100
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $199.94
The 2008 La Grande Année is another brilliant 2008 that delivers the goods. Straight-up awesome notes of stone...
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $298.75
Amazing aromas of sweet uncooked pie crust with almonds. Then you smell dried apples, apricots and pineapple. Grilled...
JS
99
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98
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $307.42
Amazing aromas of sweet uncooked pie crust with almonds. Then you smell dried apples, apricots and pineapple. Grilled...
JS
99
WA
98
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Sparkling
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle: $431.25 $458.78
Amazing aromas of sweet uncooked pie crust with almonds. Then you smell dried apples, apricots and pineapple. Grilled...
JS
99
WA
98
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 3
Bottle: $348.84
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $579.02
The clear highlight among these new releases, the 2008 Blanc de Noirs Côte de Béchalin is deep, powerful and...
VM
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $148.48
An amazing 2008 rosé Champagne that has all the structure and aromatic complexity - sushi ginger, oolong tea and...
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98
WS
95
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $169.78
Complex aromas of quince, dried mango, honey, toasted almond and gingerbread. It’s full-bodied and vinous with...
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Sparkling
750ml - Case of 6
Bottle: $225.59
Amour was created by Deutz’s long-standing managing director, Fabrice Rosset. It's a prestige blanc de blancs which...
DC
97
WA
95

Champagne Blend Cognac Zinfandel 2008 750ml

The sparkling wines of Champagne have been revered by wine drinkers for hundreds of years, and even today they maintain their reputation for excellence of flavor and character, and are consistently associated with quality, decadence, and a cause for celebration. Their unique characteristics are partly due to the careful blending of a small number of selected grape varietals, most commonly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. These grapes, blended in fairly equal quantities, give the wines of Champagne their wonderful flavors and aromas, with the Pinot Noir offering length and backbone, and the Chardonnay varietal giving its acidity and dry, biscuity nature. It isn't unusual to sometimes see Champagne labeled as 'blanc de blanc', meaning it is made using only Chardonnay varietal grapes, or 'blanc de noir', which is made solely with Pinot Noir.

For over three hundred years, Cognac has enjoyed its reputation as the king of brandies. Indeed, it is widely regarded as the finest drink to be distilled from grapes to be found anywhere in the world, and it is a testament to its producers and the master craftsmen who make it that this reputation has never faltered, and remains as strong as ever to this day.

Cognac is produced solely in the beautiful towns of Cognac and Jarnac, found about fifty miles north of Bordeaux, on the west coast of France. Here, around six thousand grape growers work exclusively in the production of white wine, used for the Cognac distilleries which are scattered throughout the region. The wines are made primarily from the Ugni Blanc or Trebbiano grape - one of the most commonly planted grape varietals in the world - which benefit from the cool, coastal climate and mineral rich soils which are found there. The wines themselves wouldn’t be suitable for drinking in themselves, as they are high in acid and low in alcohol, but this makes them ideal for distillation, and they can impart their wonderful, complex, rich flavors to the brandy.

Cognac varies quite significantly from bottle to bottle, depending on how long it has been aged for, and which appellation it comes from. The Cognac region is split into six separate Crus, all with their own distinctive characteristics, and the spirit can be aged from two years (VS) to six (Hors d’Age and Napoleon) and longer.

The precise origins of what became known as the Zinfandel grape variety are uncertain, although it has clear genetic equivalents in both Puglia and Croatia. However, when it was brought to the New World in the mid 19th century, it became known as the Zinfandel, and has been consistently popular and widely grown ever since. These very dark and very round grapes have a remarkably high sugar content, resulting in relatively high levels of alcohol in the wines they are made into, with bottles often displaying as much as fifteen percent. What makes the Zinfandel such an interesting grape, though, is the fact that the flavors produced by this varietal vary considerably depending on the climate they are grown in. In cooler valley regions, the Zinfandel grapes result in wines which hold strong flavors of tart and sweet fruits; raspberry, redcurrant and sweet cherry, held in a very smooth and silky liquid. Conversely, warmer regions result in more complex and spicy notes, including anise, pepper and hedgerow berries.